aram09 Reviews

The Tripods (1984–1985)

A highly under-rated series axed before its time

[7/10 · 30 November 2006]

Tripods is set at the end of the 21st century. The world was successfully invaded by aliens is three-legged machines and the humans not killed have been pacified by the use of a cap, a device fitted to the skull that removes aggressive and inquisitive thoughts.

Two boys Will and Henry come from a village in England. Having seen what capping did to their friend they decide to run away rather than go through with it. They meet a vagabond called Ozymandius who tells them of a band of uncapped people called freemen, who live in France on a white mountain. The boys set off in search of this mountain. Once in France they meet a French boy called Jean Paul and this trio forms the main part of the story.

They meet and befriend various people, there are love interests, and they fall foul of the various authorities. Always, in the background, is the menace of the Tripods. Eventually they manage to infiltrate the Tripods' city and learn the true nature of things.

The locations, scenery and costumes were of excellent quality, making the series very watchable. Opinions as to the acting vary from good to awful (I think they did a good enough job).

Unfortunately the BBC cancelled the series before the third part could be made, so we are left hanging at the end of series 2. A wasted chance to round off what was a serious journey into high-quality futuristic drama.

Serenity (2005)

A good film that killed the firefly franchise

[8/10 · 15 November 2006]

Fans of Firefly will slip into this film almost from the moment it starts. If this is the first exposure to the story then you will find things proceed a little quickly. As no explicit attempt is made to introduce characters, which Whedon stated was deliberate, you may find yourself a little detached from the action for the first 3rd of the film. That's not to say the first 3rd isn't good movie, merely that it will take time to fully appreciate what goes on between the various characters.

A 'western in space' theme actually works very well, the outlying planets corresponding to the wild west in old USA, with harsh living coinciding with hi-tech equipment. This fits in well with the idea that, although technology advances, humans remain the same as always. This, I think, is the reason why the merging of sci-fi and western in this film doesn't degenerate into something farcical, as the availability of technology hasn't mutated people into demi-gods like you see in Star Trek and the like.

The witty dialogue and character interaction that were always a feature of the series are fully evident in this film, and many of the threads that ran through the series are present. Kaylee and Simon's mutual and STILL unrequited love crops up, and River's instability is also here, playing a fairly central role to the film itself.

This film is very watchable by anyone. For the Browncoats it was a poignant moment in history; the funeral march of an excellent series cut down in its infancy.

****Spoilers below****

And this is what has, in my opinion, killed off any hope of Firefly coming back. In addition to Kaylee and Simon 'getting it on' at the end of the film, we have River showing everyone why the Alliance want her so badly and what they made her become. The secret of the Reavers is also revealed, and both main characters of Wash and Shepherd are killed.

The Reavers become solid characters, face-to-face with the crew, removing a lot of the mystique and horror associated with them. A large number of them must have died at the hands of the Alliance, else the soldiers would not have appeared at the end. What Reavers there were on the planet were like as not killed by River who unleashed her full powers, becoming a lethal weapon far exceeding even Buffy.

So many of the threads that held the viewer to Firefly and were developing at the right pace were cut short in this film that I fail to see what could be the driving force behind another series.

**** Spoilers End ****